Republican lawmakers like Mike Lawler must stand up to Trump | Opinion

By Emily Feiner

This past Sunday night, I was physically dragged out of Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School auditorium in Somers, New York after asking my Congressman, Rep. Mike Lawler, what red line Donald Trump would need to cross for Mr. Lawler to finally stand up to these attacks on our Constitution.

I didn’t attend the town hall expecting to be forcibly removed. I didn’t expect to have my image plastered all over the internet. In fact, it feels like a cosmic joke that my family has once again found ourselves at the center of a free speech debate.

In 1949, my father, Irving Feiner, was arrested for making a speech on a street corner in opposition to racial segregation. The police ordered my father to stop speaking, claiming that he was trying to incite a riot. When he refused, they arrested him.

Emily Feiner is carried out of the Mike Lawler Town Hall in Somers by state police.

Two Bedford DLs share their observations about the Lawler Town Hall

Michael Kempin, District Leader, ED1

Attended last night’s town hall.  I was able to attend again as a walk in. 

Generally speaking, a repeat of Rockland 

1. Majority of the room In opposition to Lawler,

2. Not one question in his favor this time. In both instances, random questions were taken by lottery. Typically if you prepared a question it would eventually be asked by another attendee.

3. Again, only one maga hat (which did make the news).

Except this time 

1. They stepped up efforts to request civility. Matt Slater was vocal in the subject as he took the stage.  Since we were at Kennedy, we opened with a prayer.

2. The house lights were up to make it easier to identify individuals not complying with the rules. 

3. I say this because, they required attendees leave their pens and notebooks at the door.

Other observations:

1. While folks acted out again at the pledge of allegiance, it is clearly not because they take exception with standing to recite the pledge of allegiance, it is because watching Lawler lead us, is staged hypocrisy.  This time the room raised their voices on the words “for all.”

2. The energy is very much police state as opposed to attending a lecture, a theater production or a movie.  Picture the ushers changing roles to “watchers/scouts” as the event begins, security guards with expensive tattoos, and state troopers at the doors while you are asking a question of your elected representative. The watcher/scouts, Lawler’s staff, were assigned the role of quelling crowd, and deciding who is asked to leave and who is dragged out.  You could literally see the fire is the eyes of the woman walking the aisles, switching her view toward anyone acting out.

Generally speaking, he is happy to bait the crowd, with statements like I guess you like petroleum in your food if you oppose Kennedy.  Should the crowd have responded, his staff would have quelled. It demonstrates to me that he sees the attendees at both events as “other” which is the most concerning observation of all.

Lawler’s Rules for the Town Hall

Christopher Vecchio, District Leader, ED3

Last night offered a study in contrasts: two political theaters, separated by asphalt and brick, yet playing to the same electorate.

Outside Congressman Mike Lawler’s (R, NY-17) town hall, the atmosphere was defined by calm resolve. 

There was warmth in the crowd, both in spirit and in shared purpose. Neighbors showed up with signs, coffee, and conversation. People sang as Q104.3 belted classic rock. We stood shoulder to shoulder, not in anger, but in solidarity. It wasn’t a mob; it was a movement. A movement built on dignity, inclusion, and truth-telling. There was a sense of community. People brought their kids. Volunteers handed out water. 

If democracy lives in public spaces, it was alive and well on the side of the road on Rt. 138 in Golden's Bridge.

Inside the town hall, the tone was categorically different.

According to a firsthand account from Bedford Democratic District Leader Michael Kempin, what unfolded in that auditorium bore little resemblance to democratic discourse. Think less “town hall” and more “controlled environment.” Pens and notebooks were confiscated at the door—an odd choice for an event ostensibly focused on information-sharing. House lights remained on, not for visibility, but surveillance. The goal wasn’t transparency; it was deterrence.

Security personnel roamed the aisles. Staffers were deputized as enforcers, quick to identify dissenters. Attendees were asked to remain civil while being subjected to baiting lines like, “I guess you like petroleum in your food if you oppose Kennedy.” This wasn’t a dialogue. It was provocation, calibrated to trigger a response that could then be managed or suppressed. This isn’t democracy. It was a kabuki theater with armed ushers. Armed ushers who forcibly removed several constituents for simply exercising their First Amendment rights.

Symbolically, the moment crystallized during the Pledge of Allegiance. While Lawler led the room, attendees elevated their voices on the words “for all.” The message was clear: values without action are hollow. The residents of Lawler's district are tired of his performative patriotism.

What we witnessed is something I’ve seen repeatedly in policy and markets alike: an asymmetry of power masquerading as process. The disconnect could not be more profound. Outside, we practiced the best traditions of American civic life. Inside, it felt like something out of a soft authoritarian handbook: surveillance, suppression, and staged legitimacy.

The broader implication? Lawler no longer views his constituents as stakeholders. He views us as liabilities. Dissent isn’t met with inquiry; it’s met with containment. And that shift, from representation to regulation, is the most dangerous signal of all.

Jennifer Cabrera, Chair of the Westchester-Putnam WFP, is carried from the Town Hall by state troopers.

In Somers, Mike Lawler is shelled with questions about Trump during raucous town hall

By Anthony Izaguirre (AP)

SOMERS, N.Y. (AP) — Voters in U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler’s suburban New York swing district unloaded a barrage of criticism on the Republican during a raucous town hall Sunday night, peppering him with questions around President Donald Trump’s aggressive agenda before devolving into a chaotic chorus of boos as attendees were removed by law enforcement.

The town hall in Somers, a leafy section of Lawler’s Hudson Valley district, began to teeter off the rails soon after it began.

The first crack emerged when Lawler, in his opening remarks, told the packed out prep school auditorium “This is what democracy looks like.”

Laughter crept through the crowd.

A little while later, the congressman’s mention of federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew loud jeers.

“So you want, for instance, petroleum-based dyes to continue?” Lawler asked in response.

Republicans, in some instances, have made themselves scarce in their home districts following President Donald Trump’s first few months in office, as party leadership expresses wariness of viral blowback against Republicans in vulnerable seats.

Lawler, a moderate who last year won a second term and has openly expressed interest in running for governor, has instead sought to put himself in front of voters, holding a previous town hall late last month and has plans for more in the coming weeks.

On Sunday, Lawler’s staff required people to RSVP and set up a series of ground rules, including that attendees live in the district, not record at the event, refrain from shouting or standing, and “be respectful of one another, of staff, and of the Congressman,” a sign at the door read.

At one point, as Lawler was responding to a question about tariffs, security and law enforcement began to surround a woman in the upper stretch of the auditorium. The crowd chanted “let her stay, let her stay” before law enforcement picked her up and carried her out. It was unclear what exactly led to her removal.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!,” the audience yelled.

Lawler tried to get back on track: “Folks, tariffs are way more complicated than you want to make them.”

The crowd groaned.

“Folks, enough!,” Lawler said above the din.

Soon after, another person was removed. Then another.

In the audience, Jeanette Spoor, a 74-year-old retiree, said she wanted to ask Lawler about the future of Social Security and Medicaid but wasn’t called on during the nearly two hour event.

“You’re not helping your constituents if you’re making it hard for them to get help,” she said in an interview.

She added, “I have no hopes for this guy.”

Another attendee, Kristi Thompson, 52, said she was bothered by what she said were Lawler’s long-winded answers that didn’t address the substance of the crowd’s questions.

“He claims to be available to constituents but he isn’t,” she said.

The crowd walked out during the final question of the night, which was about protests against Israel. Lawler began to answer, but cut himself off as the room emptied out.

“I appreciate everybody coming out tonight and taking the time to ask your questions and hear my answers, whether you liked them or not, or agreed with them or not, or whether you really actually wanted to listen to them or not, but I very much appreciate you participating,” he said as attendees exited.

Angry constituent calls out (AP)

Republicans urge battleground Rep. Mike Lawler to pass on a run for New York governor

From NBC News

Republican leaders are trying to convince Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., to drop his consideration of a run for governor of New York as concerns over protecting his battleground House seat next year mount, according to four senior GOP sources familiar with the situation.

Lawler says he hasn’t made a final decision about whether he will launch a 2026 campaign for governor. But party leaders are already growing nervous about the prospect of his abandoning one of just three GOP-held districts Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 presidential election and have privately urged him to stay in the House as they seek to protect their narrow majority, the four sources said. Some advisers close to President Donald Trump also have similar concerns about Lawler’s running for governor, according to two GOP sources familiar with the matter.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who recently met with Trump at the White House, called Lawler an “outstanding” House candidate.

“I would prefer he not run for governor,” Hudson told NBC News. Asked whether he has communicated those feelings to Lawler, he said, “Yes.”

Republicans see Lawler, a two-term congressman and former member of the New York Assembly, as uniquely situated to win his Hudson Valley-area district, which is why several senior Republican sources said they believe it would be difficult to recruit a candidate to replace him. Lawler, who was considered one of the most vulnerable GOP lawmakers up for re-election last cycle, ended up winning by nearly 6 percentage points.

“No one is waiting in the wings of his quality,” a national GOP strategist involved in House races said. “Everyone thinks very highly of Mike, and we believe he is uniquely qualified to run and win that seat.” 

Lawler has said he will decide on his plans by June. 

Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Glick's Packaging Reduction Bill Advances in Both Houses

Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) has successfully advanced through the Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee, which he chairs. 

Solid waste, which has been rising steadily over the years, presents a serious challenge for New York’s environment and the health of New Yorkers, as well as a burden on taxpayers. New York State’s 25 municipal solid waste landfills could be full within the next 15 years, according to the NYS Solid Waste Management Plan. Incineration of waste creates air quality issues and increases greenhouse gas emissions.  Further, municipalities bear the burden of collecting, sorting, and processing waste, driving up costs for taxpayers. 

PRRIA (S.1464/A.1749) aims to significantly reduce packaging waste by requiring companies to reduce overall packaging use, improve recyclability, fund recycling infrastructure, support municipal recycling programs, and eliminate toxins in packaging materials. The legislation has broad approval from New Yorkers according to public polling. 

Producers with annual net revenues over $5 million and those responsible for more than two tons of annual packaging waste would be required to reduce their packaging by 10% within three years and 30% within 12 years. PRRIA sets post-consumer recycled content standards for packaging: within two years, glass packaging must contain 35% recycled material, paper bags 40%, and plastic bags 20%.

The bill’s advancement comes one week after Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Assembly sponsor of the legislation and Chair of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee, advanced it out of her committee. Harckham and Glick have been working on PRRIA for the previous two years. The bill successfully passed the Senate on the final day of session in 2024. 

“This is a crucial step toward addressing the growing environmental challenges posed by waste and plastic pollution,” said Harckham. “This legislation represents the strongest Extended Producer Responsibility framework in the nation. It will reduce waste, plastics, and toxins, contributing significantly to a cleaner, more sustainable environment. While there’s still much work ahead to pass the bill through both houses, today’s progress is a critical step forward for our communities and our environment. I look forward to continuing our efforts with my colleagues and the many advocates who have championed this cause.”

“Last session, we ran out of time to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act in both houses,” said Glick. “This early forward momentum of the bill is good news for the municipalities and New Yorkers who have been overburdened with the rising cost of the disposal of toxic packaging from producers. This bill has clear solutions to address the looming solid waste and plastic pollution crisis that will help achieve our climate goals while making our environment safer for all of us. PRRIA cannot be delayed any longer, municipalities deserve relief, and New Yorkers deserve a safe and clean environment.”

Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics said,“Nobody voted for more plastic, yet taxpayers are forced to spend hundreds of millions every year just to deal with all of the waste — and the cancer, heart disease, and respiratory and reproductive issues associated with it. We thank Senate Environmental Committee Chair Pete Harckham and Assembly Environmental Committee Chair Deborah Glick for moving their visionary bill through committee, and for bringing New York state one step closer to addressing our growing plastic pollution problem. Now we need this bill to come to the floor in both houses for a vote. Plastic polluters should be on the hook for the mess they’re making,”

Chris Burdick reminds of the importance of Earth Day

“New Yorkers share a vision to live sustainably, protect our planet, and cherish the beauty and abundance that Earth provides us. Let’s celebrate Earth Day 2025 by recommitting to that shared vision. Happy Earth Day!”

Assembly Member Chris Burdick